About the Club

The Taupo Mountain Bike Club was established in 1990, and became an Incorporated Society at the beginning of 2005.  The Club has always used Wairakei Forest (also fondly known as ‘Craters’ or Craters of the Moon) as a home base for activities.  In the past the Club worked with the former Wairakei Tourist Park management, members and volunteers to develop and maintain a network of mountain bike tracks in the forest.  More recently the Club works very closely with the Bike Taupo Advocacy Group who now has a Recreation Permit from the Crown to use defined areas of Wairakei Forest for non-commercial mountain bike activities.  The permit ensures ongoing access to the forest for the cycling public of Taupo and visitors to the region.

Thanks to the efforts of Bike Taupo Advocacy Group and the Taupo Mountain Bike Club, we now have an extensive network of specific mountain bike tracks in the forest.  The tracks are built to an appropriate standard, are well signed and well maintained.  Track grades range from G2 (suitable for beginner riders) through to G5 (suitable only for experienced riders with good skills).  One reason for the popular appeal of the Craters mountain bike tracks is their pumice surface, giving great riding in both summer and winter.

Each year the Club runs a number of fun and competitive events, and group rides.  With few exceptions, there is an event each Thursday evening.  Through the summer, this is a Twilight Handicap Series, which has wide appeal to all ages and abilities.  Through the winter it is the regular Thursday group night ride.

Daytime events, generally on a Sunday, would typically include a Teams Race (in a popular relay format, suitable for all ages and abilities), the Craters Classic cross country race (with a one-lap format, and normally with a short course option), and perhaps an event as part of a Regional Series (for example, a round of the Mid North Island Championships).

The Club provides education, training and coaching for members in the sport of mountain bike riding.  Many current and former members of Taupo Mountain Bike Club have become National Champions in the cross country riding discipline, and several have also achieved placing in the Oceania competition and/or rankings in European and World competition.

The Club advocates locally and nationally for land access for mountain biking.

The Taupo Mountain Bike Club is affiliated to the national association, Mountain Biking New Zealand (MTBNZ).